3 days.

Kerissa • June 12, 2014

Just in case you don’t already know, we leave for San Diego in 3 days!  My appointment with the mito specialist is in 6 days….muscle biopsy in 9 days!  Can’t believe everything is just around the corner!  It can’t come soon enough, and here’s why:

Long story short, I had yet another ER visit and hospital stay last week.  I was dealing with especially bad nystagmus (uncontrollable, oscillating eye movements…seriously one of the worst symptoms ever!).  I was super nauseated all day Tuesday, and Wednesday, I had a vomiting episode on the way home from physical therapy.  Things went downhill after that, and my neurologist told me to go to the ER.  I had 5 tubes of blood drawn and was given IV zofran, phenergan, reglan, toradol, benedryl, magnesium, lorazepam, cipro, and 3 liters of fluids.  So many IV medications at one time!  All that made me pretty out of it, and honestly, I don’t remember much.  I got admitted to the ER observation unit for two nights because they also found out I had a bladder infection….that’s probably why the nausea and nystagmus got so horrible.

Tomorrow, I’m getting squeezed in to see my neuro-ophthalmologist regarding all that happened last week.

I will try to update sometime after the big mito appointment next week, but I may be having too much fun in San Diego!  Praying the nystagmus and headaches can stay away!

October prayer request

By Kerissa Lee • October 19, 2025
Dear friends, At the beginning of October, I started taking a new medication for the autoimmune disease. I thought I was tolerating it just fine, but after several days passed, I began experiencing nausea, loss of appetite, weakness all over, and increased pain. 🙁 It’s like I’m experiencing another “mito crash.” I found out that this specific lupus medication affects mitochondria. That is, it causes an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This, in turn, causes cell damage and oxidative stress. I sure wish the rheumatologists would have known about this before prescribing. But I have to remember that Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome is rare, and they’re not “mito experts.” Anyways, the last time I felt like this was back in May.. I’m so grateful to God that I haven’t needed to be hospitalized from this, but at the same time, I’m also sad that this happened at all, especially because I had such a nice stretch of stable health. I’d really appreciate your prayers, that this muscle weakness can resolve soon, and that this increased pain all over will get back to my baseline. Every time I have a “mito crash,” it feels like I’m fighting the flu which always sucks. The pain has been hard to bear. And whenever I’m in the thick of it, it’s difficult to remember that this too will eventually pass. 😢 Pray that I will endure and follow Jesus’ example like this passage from Hebrews 12:1-2– “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross...” Thank you all so much for praying for me. ❤️

Thank you! (+ a prayer request)

By Kerissa Lee • October 4, 2025
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3

Praises & Prayer Requests

By Kerissa Lee • September 3, 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23